OH! Magazine - Australian Version March 2014 (Australian Version) | Page 10

MICHELLE
BRIDGES

YOUR BODY IS
PERFECT!
n an era where we are pre-occupied
with how our body looks, it’s not
difficult to disregard how well our body is
actually functioning. We tend to forget that
we are the manifestation of what we do to
our body, and our physical selves are
merely a reflection of how our lifestyles
have treated our skin, bones, muscles and
connective tissues over the years.
Of course, there are other influences at
work too. Our genes hard-wire us to
determine our physical being, but what
science has discovered is that this hardwiring is not all-encompassing. In fact,
only around 40 per cent of our physicality
is genetically pre-determined.
The remaining 60 per cent is determined
by our lifestyle, including what we eat and
whether or not we exercise. So while we
might think that we’re stuck with a certain
physical body, the truth is, we’re not. We
can change it by giving it different
messages.
Now I’m not talking about morphing from
a classic pear shape into a willowy catwalk
model. What I am saying is that a large part

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ISSUE 8 ( OH! MAGAZINE )

Michelle Bridges reminds us to appreciate our body
for what it is right now – perfect!
of how we look is not so much about the
genes we were born with, but what we’ve
done with them since. It’s about the genetic
expression of our genes – how our treatment
of them has expressed themselves to create
our current human form.
Now, as you know, nothing happens
overnight; your body is a long time in the
making, and it’s not quick to change. But
change it will, because your body is
perfect. It perfectly responds to whatever
you tell it to do. By this I mean, if you feed
it more energy but expend less, it will
store fat and grow larger. On the flipside,
if you cut down on your energy intake and
increase your energy expenditure, and it
will become smaller again.
Start training with weights, and not only
will your muscles become stronger to
compensate, but your bones will become
bigger and denser (which is good!).

Similarly, if you start training for a
marathon, your body will adapt
accordingly. Your body is actually the
perfect machine because it has been
designed to change and adapt to its
circumstances and surroundings.
So remind yourself of your body’s
perfection next time you exercise. When
you’re jogging and you start feeling short
of breath, tell yourself that your body is
responding exactly as it should by
increasing your rate of breathing so as to
ramp up the oxygen flow to fuel your
muscles. Or, when you’re next lifting
weights, as your muscles tighten and
become full and pumped, remind yourself
that the discomfort you feel is plasma
being caught within the muscle, as it
contracts – exactly as it is supposed to,
during the process to achieving optimum
health.

www.michellebridges.com.au

( Fitness )